We almost always have more than two options

It may be hard for some people to believe since we live in an age of superstores, but I can remember shopping for groceries in a store that had two aisles. You entered through the door and walked down one aisle with shelves on both sides, the meat counter was at the back where you turned and went down the second aisle with shelves on both sides. At the end of that aisle was the cash register. The amazing thing was that you get all the groceries you needed for the week. Now, of course, there were not 15 different choices for ketchup and 100 different flavors of salad dressing, but we didn't expect such a variety of choices back then. We just wanted groceries, and this little store provided that.

Most of us want more options today when we buy groceries than that store could provide, but at the same time we often limit ourselves to two options when we are trying to make a decision about something. We think it has to be this or that. We limit our thinking to either/or and feel trapped when neither choice seems to work or if we really don't like either choice. The fact is, there are almost always more than two options if we take time to think about it.

When we adopt an either/or mindset we really do fall into a trap that often does not end well. Even if one of those options does work, that does not mean that it was the best option. There may have been another choice we could have made that would have worked out even better for us if we had only considered it rather than focusing on the two choices we thought we had.

I suggest that when you are considering a major decision that you spend sufficient time to identify as many options as possible. Talk with trusted friends about the decision you are making and ask for their input. They very well may introduce an option you had not even considered. You can add it to your written list. This might be a good time to bring a life coach into your life to help you identify additional options. When you have compiled a list of several alternatives you are ready to begin giving each of them more thought to identify the one that would be the best choice.

There is a danger in this advice. We can spend too much time doing this and overthink the matter. This is often called "analysis paralysis" where we get so caught up in thinking about a matter that we never made a decision. This can be the result of the fear of making a wrong decision so we overcome that fear by making no decision. This unwillingness to choose is dangerous to anyone but especially for those in leadership positions. There comes a point where one must stop the analysis and make a decision. 

Just don't limit yourself to considering only two options when you need to make a decision about some matter. There are usually more options than that and as you identify them your likelihood of making a better decision will be higher.